The Argument for Galveston

Pensacola and Galveston are roughly equidistant for most Country Roads readers. Pensacola has those stunning white sand beaches. So why would you choose the brown sand beaches of Galveston instead?

I’m here to make that case. Along with this guy…

“You can only enjoy a beach so long,” was the ready response from Dwayne Jones, Galveston Historical Foundation’s executive director, when I put that question to him. “There are things to do in Galveston that you can’t do elsewhere.”

Lots and lots of things, I discovered on a recent visit where I tried to cram in as many of those only-in-Galveston adventures as possible.

“We have four nationally recognized historic districts,” he continued, citing an example he’s particularly well suited to address. “The island has probably twenty thousand properties that would be eligible for historic designation.”

That is a pretty astonishing statistic for an island that weathered one of the most horrific hurricanes in U.S. history and a few nasty ones since then.

Best known of those historic districts is The Strand, where the Historic Foundation operates a cluster of attractions that make for an excellent orientation to start a visit to the island. The Pier 21 Theatre offers three films: one about the aforementioned hurricane of 1900, another about the more than 200,000 immigrants from all over the world that entered the United States through Galveston (making it the second largest U.S. immigration entry point after Ellis Island), and a third with details of the notorious outpost operated by one of the island’s early residents—French pirate Jean Lafitte.

Next door is the Texas Seaport Museum and the tall ship Elissa, built in 1877, which a band of ardent volunteers has been meticulously restoring over that last several decades.

Particularly interesting is the cluster of galleries and cafés that fill another of the historic districts, the emerging Postoffice Street arts and entertainment district a few blocks south. The area is newly thriving as a destination for lovers of the arts. At its center, beautifully restored and available for touring, is The Grand 1894 Opera House, home to a full spectrum of performance arts. Nearby is Bishop’s Palace one of the most stunning examples of the island’s preserved architectural history.

“Bishop’s Palace is an amazing piece of architecture which really shows you the wealth and prestige of Galveston in the late nineteenth century,” observed Jones.

Galveston owed its wealth to its port, which predated the ability of Houston to host vessels. Galveston was a center of industry, shipping, and a vast array of businesses including banking, insurance, and especially the shipping of cotton out of Texas to international ports and mills.

Built between 1887 and 1893 for one of Galveston’s many vastly wealthy families, Bishop’s Palace was purchased in 1923 by the archdiocese to be used as the bishop’s residence (and one of the rooms was remodeled into a small chapel). The house was among those that survived the 1900 hurricane, and a highlight of the tour is a photo next to an upstairs window. Taken just after the hurricane, the image shows the view from that window of utter devastation.

One of the reasons Galveston’s impressive roster of historic properties still stands is that after the hurricane of 1900—the deadliest natural disaster ever to occur in the U.S., killing at least six thousand of the island’s residents—a vast engineering project was undertaken to build a seawall, raising the eastern part of the island behind it as much as seventeen feet.

Today the broad sidewalk atop that seawall is said to be the longest continuous sidewalk in the world. This author long ago lost interest in lying on sand, no matter how beautiful, under a scorching sun acquiring the golden glow of future melanoma. So, pedaling a bicycle over the broad sidewalks, the seawall was the perfect vantage from which to admire the gulf.

Another terrific vantage point unique to Galveston? High atop a Ferris wheel at the end of a pier jutting into the gulf—also a part of island’s history. The pier was originally built as a recreational facility for the United States military during World War II. In the 1940s it was transformed into the Galveston Pleasure Pier, the largest of its kind in the country. It closed when Hurricane Carla severely damaged the property but was resurrected this year by the Louisiana-based Landry Company and is now the South’s only amusement park on a pier.

And while lots of beach resorts offer aerial views of the water below from parasails, how many offer you a birds-eye view from a vintage WWII bomber?

“The queen of the fleet is our B-17 Flying Fortress, one of only ten or eleven that are still flying in the world,” explained Larry Gregory of the Lone Star Flight Museum. “The B-17 is one of the most historic bombers ever built—[it is] a very rare experience to fly aboard one. The unique thing about the bombers is that you’re able to move around them during the flight and see what it looks like from the nose and other compartments of the airplane.”

The B-17 is just one of several aircraft owned by the museum in which you can buzz around the island. Another of Gregory’s favorites is the PT-17 Stearman, an open cockpit bi-plane from the barnstormer era of flying. These rides don’t come cheap but are so much more than a pretty view.

“These airplanes come to life when you’re in them,” explained Gregory. “You get to experience the sights and the sounds and the smells of historic aviation—what it was like for our servicemen to go fly in defense of our country.”

For those who’d rather stay grounded, a mere $8 will gain entrance to a view of these aircraft in the nicely curated hangar museum at the Galveston airport.

A short stroll away are both the wildly popular Schlitterbahn Waterpark and Moody Gardens—where one of that attraction’s iconic pyramids houses an aquarium and the other a rainforest, through which you can stroll in air conditioned comfort while monkeys scamper at your feet.

And while the Florida panhandle’s beaches have beautiful waterfront hotels, none have recently celebrated a centennial like the grand dame of Galveston’s hotels—Hotel Galvez. An existing plan to build this grand hotel was accelerated after the hurricane of 1900 to draw tourists back to the island; Hotel Galvez first opened its doors in 1911.

Today many of the suites are named for the famous folk who’ve stayed there, among them Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Other notables include General Douglas MacArthur, Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, and Howard Hughes. In fact, the hotel’s history is so extensive it has its own museum.

“The hall of history was opened in January of 2011 as part of our centennial,” noted Hotel Galvez’ Christine Hopkins. Exhibits include memorabilia from the celebs that have stayed there over the years along with some of the china that was used when the hotel was opened. “We also have a self-guided tour booklet, and in mid-October we’ll have a new audio tour available.”

And that’s just about the perfect time to visit the island—when you can watch the film about Galveston’s hurricane history without much worry that one will occur while you’re there; when the college crowd is back in class, providing a clear stretch of seawall-topped sidewalk for bike rides; when the air is a little cooler but the water still warm; and when hotels rates begin to drop.

The island’s dining options, of course, include a number of excellent beach-view seafood joints with sunset views across the Gulf. But there are also charming spots in Galveston’s historic districts, like the Mosquito Café where, on a balmy fall evening, their outdoor garden makes a perfect spot to nosh down on a grilled ahi tuna sandwich with wasabi cream. Or try brunch at the Farley Girls Café, where Dutch pancakes come topped with caramelized apples and whipped cream.

With the weekend almost over, I still hadn’t visited the Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig Museum, the Railroad Museum, or set a flip-flop to the sand. When I finally did, I discovered that the water I’d always thought of as a bit murky, is really quite clear. The brown sand just doesn’t show it off as nicely as Pensacola’s white sands.

So there it is. I’ve made my case for Galveston instead of—or, even better, in addition to—the Florida panhandle. And the next time I head there I may not even bother to pack a swimsuit.

Hotel Galvez has a Dinner with the Ghosts overnight package. Priced at $229 per night, it includes a deluxe guest room, a ghost tour, dinner for two, and valet parking. Look for it under Special Offers at WyndhamHotelGalvez.com.

For those on a budget and for whom a beach view is not mandatory, consider a stay at the Inn at the Waterpark. It’s clean, comfortable and just a few hundred yards away from the Lone Star Flight Museum and Moody Gardens.

On the way: Dash off the main highway into League City and check out the Butler Longhorn Museum to discover how these hardy cattle helped Texas recover more quickly from the Civil War. butlerlonghornmuseum.com.